Well, the wacky and fantastical option is clearly instead going after the interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who would give Pereira the chance at again making history if he could become the first three-division champion in promotional history with a win. That matchup still feels like a major stretch despite the surprising announcement of Gaethje vs. Holloway. If the UFC comes calling though, Aspinall will answer.
“If he wants to, I will,” Aspinall said of Pereira on his YouTube channel. “But I’m going on record and saying I’m not a bully. I don’t bully smaller guys. But, if the smaller guy wants a scrap, count me in.”
Aspinall, 30, has found himself in one of the more frustrating situations any interim champion has ever been in throughout MMA history. After winning his crown with a 69-second knockout of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 last November, White insisted that the undisputed champion Jon Jones will still defend against Stipe Miocic upon his return from a torn pectoral muscle — the only reason Aspinall vs. Pavlovich happened in the first place.
With all that in mind, Aspinall has expressed that he’s open to fighting whatever would be the most logical next option, which pointed him to the winner of Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida at UFC 299 in March. Meanwhile, at light heavyweight, Pereira awaits Jamahal Hill to return from a ruptured Achilles tendon and Magomed Ankalaev continues to make his case for the next title shot after his recent second-round knockout of Johnny Walker at UFC Vegas 84 last Saturday.
Today, Rizin President Nobuyuki Sakakibara shows interest to have a meeting in early February with UFC President, Dana White. He is looking to support Kyoji Horiguchi and Kai Asakura to try get a spot in UFC. Sakakibara knows it’s not a easy move but he wants to talk with UFC in high level. Both athletes shows desire to be there and he is worried about them losing money and attention but competition side, it’s a challenge both can take and represent Japan there.
Possible fights for 300, IMO.
Edwards vs Belal
Pereira vs Aspinall, Chimaev, Adesanya, Ankalaev or Hill (if healthy enough)
MW champ vs Chimaev or Adesanya
Horiguchi return
Asakura debut
Diaz vs Masvidal 2
Chikadze vs Emmett
Nick Diaz vs Brown
Derrick Lewis fight
Blachowicz fight
Umar vs Sandhagen
Lots of big names but I’m really not interested in most of those fights. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll watch it, but I don’t think it’s a very interesting card.
As of now ESPN is showing the WMMA title fight and the BMF fight on the PPV but the Charles fight is the prelim main event and the Fig and Miller fights are early prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
Early prelims start at 6 pm ET so you figure they got two more fights to add for the early prelims two hour block of time and then three more fights to add to the PPV to make it a 13 fight card.
I don’t know, they only got three fights on the early prelims of 299 and thats a two hour block as well so who knows if they do 12 or 13 for 300. Sometimes they book 12, sometimes 13, plenty of times we see them lose a fight the week of the fight and the early prelims go from 4 to 3 or 3 to 2 or whatever so time will tell.
If Chandler beat Conor in June and Masvidal beats Nate again at 300… there you go Conor vs Nate III at the end of the year. Really even if upsets happen, anything sells with fights between those four down the line.
So Chael was talking about a Fedor vs Aspinall rumor… which he admitted didn’t have legs. Said Stipe would be better. Can’t disagree. Fedor is 47, the only fight that would make sense for him for a final retirement fight would be someone like 46 year old Barnett.
Aspinall vs Stipe for the interim title would be an ok headliner of 300 with Jones injured.
If Stipe wins its a huge upset from an aging legend. If Aspinall wins its the next big thing getting a legends name on his resume.
Aspinall beating Stipe would set up a huge fight between Jones and Aspinall for the summer. I think it would be an even bigger fight than just waiting for Jones vs Stipe to finally happen after a decade of talk in the media.
The only problem is…Jones is not gonna want that, he wants the safer fight for his last fight. He is adamant he wants Stipe. If UFC has Aspinall come in and take that fight away from Jones, that would be great.
You don’t really believe Jones injured his pec, do you? Genuinely asking. He obviously pissed hot again. How many other teams have released videos of their guy getting hurt or even happen to catch an injury on record. The video of him “getting injured” is so fucking retarded, I’ll call it silly.
I trust tapology way more than ESPN with the knowledge and running of the cards,
As it stands my boy Charlie O is on the main card,
And I believe they are kicking the main card off with the Chinkie Title fight
